Medusa’s Myth and the Clash of Cultures

In our English lessons, the children have been learning to make their writing more vivid by using the five senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch—as well as similes, which are comparisons using ‘like’ or ‘as’.  This week, they practiced describing what it would be like to meet Medusa. They imagined the look of her snake-filled hair, the sound of hissing, and even the cold, eerie atmosphere of her lair. They used similes like “her gaze was as sharp as a knife” to make their writing even more engaging.

In our recent history lessons, the children have been learning about the differences between Athens and Sparta. This week, they imagined visiting one of these ancient cities and wrote about their experiences in a postcard.  For example, one child who ‘visited’ Athens wrote, ‘Athens is amazing! I saw the giant Parthenon and watched people talking about new ideas. I even visited a school where boys were learning to read and write!’  Another child who ‘visited’ Sparta wrote, “Sparta is so different! I watched kids my age training to be soldiers. They don’t have much free time because they are always practicing fighting and working hard to be strong.”

In our yoga session, the children moved through a series of activities designed to help them focus, connect with their bodies, and improve their mindfulness. We began by flowing through the sun sequence, which helped us warm up, prepare our bodies, and focus our minds for the rest of the session.  Next, we played a game called Sharks, where the children moved around the room before returning to their mats, grounding themselves in the tree pose. This game not only encouraged body awareness but also helped them practice balance and calmness after movement.  Following that, we played the Rain stick Game. In this game, the children focused on the sounds of the rain stick, listening carefully as the gentle noise moved closer to them. This exercise helped improve their listening skills and sharpen their focus on the present moment.  We ended the session with the Ladybird Relaxation. In this relaxation, the children listened to a story about a ladybird’s journey. As the ladybird ‘landed’ on different parts of their body—nose, knees, toes, and thumbs—it guided them to focus on and relax each part in turn. This story helped them release tension and improve body awareness in a calming and fun way.

This week in maths, we’ve been learning to add 4 and 5 digit numbers using place value and exchanging. Children  break numbers into thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones, and when a column adds up to more than 9, they ‘exchange’ or carry the extra to the next column. We used pictures to help students visualise this process, making it easier to understand how larger numbers are added.

This week in hockey, the children worked on key skills like dribbling, ball control, and quick passing. They focused on keeping the ball close to their feet and making fast, accurate passes. In groups of three, two attackers and one defender, they practised passing three times without the defender intercepting to earn points.